Returning to Roots Music

Voices of Vietnam Veterans

After more than two decades of involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, on October 26, 1972, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger declared, “peace is at hand.” A peace agreement was signed just a few months later, and US troops left Vietnam. This episode features stories from Kansans who served in the Vietnam War. What led these Kansans to serve? What did they experience during the war? How did they navigate the complicated reactions to their service when they returned home? How did their service affect their lives? And what can we learn from these Kansas veterans’ experiences today?

Rattlebone Hollow

Founded by Exodusters in the late 1800s, the story of Rattlebone Hollow has been mostly forgotten by Kansans. A thriving African-American community for the first part of the 20th century, Rattlebone Hollow was a neighborhood of black professionals, businesses, and homeowners. But decline set in, and in 1972, the US federal government was building a landfill in this Kansas City, KS neighborhood. Learn about the history of this important community and the five-decade fight against environmental discrimination from two individuals who are trying to keep the Rattlebone Hollow story alive.

Urban Renewal on the Plains

Urban renewal comes to Kansas and irrevocably altered historic communities. In a spotlight on Wichita, hear about the efforts of one woman to save the historic Calvary Baptist Church from demolition. Also, learn how the construction of I-135 in Wichita in the 1970s disrupted an African American community on the North side. And explore the contemporary Horizontes mural project, which uses socially engaged art to help heal the damage done by urban renewal to communities of color in Wichita.

Kansas Through the Camera's Eye

How did Kansas photographers in the early 1970s engage with Kansas and Kansans in their work? Terry Evans used her camera to capture the stories of Kansans, especially in rural spaces, who were experiencing the effects of social and economic change. And Gordon Parks used the camera’s perspective to work through his complicated relationship with his home state.

Returning to Roots Music

In the Fall of 1972, around 10,000 people descended on the Winfield, Kansas fairgrounds to enjoy a long weekend of camping, crafts, and bluegrass music. Fifty years later, the Walnut Valley Festival and National Flat-Picking Championships is still going strong. Learn about the origins of the festival, why the early 1970s was the right moment for the creation of this kind of event, the camp culture that has made the festival so unique, and the larger community created around Bluegrass.